Blog: Signing a charter – and ticking off a pledge

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It was a pleasure to be in Plymouth today to sign the Ethical Care Charter with Plymouth City Council. Plymouth joins the dozens of councils who have made a commitment to pay the living wage to care workers, guarantee training and ensure decent standards for those who need care in their homes.

I signed the charter alongside Council Leader Tudor Evans and Councillor Ian Tuffin, and it was great to hear their passion for their city – and their plans for the future.

Signing the Ethical Care Charter and delivering better care was one of Plymouth Labour’s 100 pledges at the recent local elections (where they took control of the council) so it was great to see them ticking off one of those pledges – and supporting public service workers at the same time.

I was joined for the signing by Branch Secretary Kevin Treweeks and Branch Chair Kate Lattimore, whose campaigning for the Ethical Care Charter has been pivotal in getting the council to sign up to it. This is an active and campaigning branch, as I saw when I joined them in the council refectory at lunchtime. There they were meeting members, recruiting members and letting everyone know about out campaign against cuts to local government funding – a great example of a branch visible in the workplace and pushing for meaningful change.

As more councils sign our Ethical Care Charter, thousands more care workers secure greater protection at work, better pay and more training. It’s a great example of the change our union – branches, regions and the centre – can achieve when we work together.